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 BEREA, OHIO -- Baldwin-Wallace College junior and Olmsted Falls High School graduate Greg Koch is a perfectionist. He is one of those guys who always thinks he can be and do better. But it didn’t always used to be that way with Koch.
“When I was in high school, I didn’t take my studies as seriously as I needed t take them,” said Koch, a history major who would like to teach history and coach football following graduation in the spring of 2004. “That was a big mistake. If I could tell a younger person one thing that might help them today, I would tell them to focus. To study hard now because it will pay off in the long run.
“I was more focused on playing sports, having fun and studying when I had to do it,” said Koch, who played on the Bulldogs 1999 state championship football team. “Yeah, I had a good time in high school and we won a state title, but I paid for it when I went to college. Literally.
“When I came to B-W, I didn’t receive any academic scholarships,” said Koch. “I knew I made a mistake by not being a better student, and I have been working hard to make up for it.”
Yellow Jacket Head Coach John Snell likes that in Koch.
“Greg Koch is an outstanding young man and football player,” said Head Coach John Snell. “His play and leadership on defense are two of the reasons why we finished 8-2 this year.
“Greg leads by example,” said Snell, who was promoted from interim coach to head coach on November 20. “He is not a vocal player. He works very hard and gives at least 110 percent all of the time. He is a player that our younger guys look up to a great deal. He will be a key returning player next year, but more importantly, he will be a team-leader again.
“He has also worked very hard to become a better student and now is a pretty good one,” said Snell. “It (not taking his studies seriously in high school) takes a big man to know that he made a mistake while in high school. Greg has been striving to be better in all aspects. I think he will make an outstanding teacher and coach oneday. He has earned the chance.”
So, what is left for Koch to accomplish at B-W in terms of football. He is already one of the best defensive backs in the Ohio Athletic Conference and North Region of Division III. Now, Koch and the Yellow Jackets seek to be among the best in all of Division III.
“Our goal is to win an OAC title and compete in the Division III Playoffs with a chance of winning a national championship,” said Koch, who ended his junior season as a first-team All-OAC selection at safety and is currently a nominee for All-North Region honors by The Football Gazette and Division III All-America accolades by the Hewlett-Packard Selection Committee. “We didn’t do it this year and it is a little disappointing. We were so close.”
This fall, the Yellow Jackets finished 8-2 overall with both of its losses coming to Division III Playoff teams by close scores.
“Next year, we want to win the OAC title, beat both Mount Union and John Carroll, earn a spot in the Division III Playoffs and win the Division III national title,” said Koch. “I think we have the talent and ability to do it. They way we played in our last six games showed people a great deal about our team and what kind of leaders we have on this team.”
And Koch is one of the leaders.
This fall, Koch led the Yellow Jackets in total tackles with 84, including 40 solo stops. He led the team in interceptions with five, including one that he returned 42 yards for a touchdown against Capital. And, he was second in pass breakups with 14.
So, what set this year’s Yellow Jacket team apart from the previous one? Koch thinks it’s the coach.
“Coach Snell really lit a fire in us,” said Koch, named recently as B-W’s Ray E. Watts Most Valuable Defensive Player and as the Most Outstanding Defensive Back Award winner. “We are more enthused and have set our goals high for next year. Coach Snell also pushes us to reach of goals, both in terms of team goals and individual goals.
“When I came here, we were more interested in keeping our streak of 36 straight winning seasons alive,” said Koch. “Not anymore. Now our goals are much higher. The goals have made us realize that we have to get better every day to have a chance at winning a national title.
“We lost a close game to Mount Union and the way the John Carroll game ended, it left a real bitter taste in our mouths,” said Koch. “If we would have beaten JCU, it would be much different now. I also realize that I can’t change what has happened. I can only change what is going to happen. I have learned.”
It seems that Greg Koch has learned a lot of lessons in his three short years at B-W.
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